Interactions between dynamics on different temporal scales of about a century long record of data of the daily mean surface air temperature from various European locations have been detected using a form of the conditional mutual information, statistically tested using the Fourier-transform and multifractal surrogate data methods. An information transfer from larger to smaller time scales has been observed as the influence of the phase of slow oscillatory phenomena with the periods around 6–11 yr on the amplitudes of the variability characterized by the smaller temporal scales from a few months to 4–5 yr. The overall effect of the slow oscillations on the interannual temperature variability within the range $1–2°\mathrm{C}$ has been observed in large areas of Europe.

• Received 29 November 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.112.078702